Herbert Roper Barrett

Herbert Roper Barrett, KC (24 November 1873 – 27 July 1943) was a tennis player from Great Britain.

Biography

Barrett was born on 24 November 1873 in Upton, Essex.

At the London Olympics in 1908 Barrett and Arthur Gore won a gold medal in the men's indoor doubles event. They also won the doubles in Wimbledon in 1909. In 1912 and 1913 he won the Wimbledon doubles with Charles Dixon.

He played his first Wimbledon singles competition in 1898, reaching the second round in which he lost to eventual finalist Laurence Doherty. In 1908 he reached the All comers final, beating Anthony Wilding and Major Ritchie before losing in five sets to former doubles partner Arthur Gore. In 1909 he beat James Cecil Parke and Friedrich Rahe before losing to Ritchie in the all comers final. He achieved his best Wimbledon singles result in 1911 when he beat Parke and Gordon Lowe before winning the All-Comers final against compatriot Charles P. Dixon. In the Challenge Round against Anthony Wilding from New Zealand, Roper Barrett had to retire at the start of the fifth set.

He participated in the first Davis Cup in 1900 and was the non-playing captain of the winning British Davis Cup team in 1933.

His most successful tournament wins were at the Suffolk Championships at Saxmundham which he won 17 times between 1898 and 1921; he reached 18 finals there and won the tournament 14 consecutive times between 1904 and 1921, all three achievements are all-time records at a single tournament. He won the Essex Championships 13 times (1897–1898, 1899, 1901, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912), and also won the East of England Championships 6 times (1897–1899, 1901–1902, 1910).

He died on 27 July 1943.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runner-ups)

ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1908 Wimbledon Grass Arthur Gore 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 4–6Loss 1911 Wimbledon Grass Anthony Wilding 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 2–6 ret.

Doubles (3 titles, 3 runner-ups)